If soybean acres continue to rise as expected, farmers are going to have to be vigilant, Dennis Lange said. “Rotation, rotation, rotation (is) very important,” he said. In the early years farmers didn’t see a yield reduction seeding soybeans on soybean stubble. But crop insurance data shows between 2008 and 2012 planting back-to-back soybeans resulted
Tag Archives Agronomy
Agronomy will be key to growing soybean acreage
As the crop becomes a major feature of Manitoba fields, there will also be more challenges popping up for growers
Boots on the ground must support scouting technology
The existing technology can detect variation in a field, but not why that variation exists
There’s no shortage of technology available to help researchers, agronomists, and farmers scout their fields. From satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to smartphone apps, there are plenty of tools out there. Just don’t expect them to replace boots on the ground any time soon. The limitation of current remote-sensing technology, such
Cover cropping improves land and bank balance
Ontario farmer Blake Vince has harnessed the power of cover crops on his operation
Despite not having cattle on his operation, Blake Vince says he is still a livestock farmer. “Where my livestock are is below my feet and sadly we forget that. The soil is alive, it is a collection of living organisms,” Vince, a Canadian Nuffield Scholar and fifth-generation Ontario farmer, said during a presentation at the
Growth chamber system ‘test drives’ new varieties
Cameras can detect and quantify signals produced by plants
Following the lead of automakers who torture test their cars on special tracks that simulate real driving conditions, researchers at Michigan State University have developed a system to test drive new plant varieties before they reach the field. Called DEPI — Dynamic Environmental Photosynthetic Imaging — the system uses sensors, cameras and software to reproduce
CropLife report highlights importance of crop protection and biotechnology
The group says it’s ready to make the case for the value and economic contribution of the industry’s technology to the country
CropLife Canada wants to talk about the value of crop protection products and plant biotechnology. To this end it’s commissioned a report examining how much the industry contributes to the country by the consultancy RIAS. Ted Menzies, president of CropLife, says his organization is looking for venues and opportunities to discuss the information contained in
African smallholders are adopting conservation agriculture techniques
When you’re subsisting on three-quarters of an acre, increasing maize production from 32 kg a year to 990 kg is a life-changing event
This summer Stefan Epp-Koop travelled to Kenya as part of a Canadian Foodgrains Bank learning tour, focused on the importance of agriculture in achieving numerous development goals: reducing hunger, increasing incomes, empowering women, adapting to a changing climate, and improving nutrition. Throughout the trip he visited farmers, government officials and researchers, exploring solutions that were
Pulse and soybean research position to bring industry to classroom
This unique position will aid to integrate the pulse industry into the university to a greater degree
The Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG) and the University of Manitoba are teaming up to create a new applied research postion to help bridge the gap between classroom and real world. “We noticed a shortage in applied research capacity,” said Francois Labelle, MPSG executive director. “Our farmers are asking some great questions. This position
Another record for insured plantings of soybeans in Manitoba
A prediction that soybeans could challenge canola for top spot doesn't look so far fetched now
In 2013, grain market analyst Bruce Burnett predicted in five years Manitoba farmers would be planting just as many soybeans as canola. The intentionally provocative forecast was made to underscore how the combination of a warmer climate, improved soybean varieties and favourable returns can influence farmers’ planting decisions. But new soybean-planting records have been set
Low-tech, co-operative approaches support smallholder farmers
A simple plastic sheet may not look like much, but it can change lives and communities
Over 70 per cent of hungry people in the world today are smallholder farmers. Those producing food are, ironically, the most likely to go without. This summer I visited Kenya with Canadian Foodgrains Bank to explore what can be done to address hunger and support the smallholder farmers (farmers with less than 10 acres of
Local testing of cereal varieties key to determining productivity
Researchers at the Brandon Research and Development Centre are committed to testing varieties under local conditions
On paper that new wheat or barley variety looks like a winner — but how’s it actually going to perform under real-life conditions? That’s the question federal and provincial crop researchers working at the Brandon Research and Development Centre (BRDC) are hoping to contribute to with a host of ongoing variety trials at their 2,500-acre
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